The present invention relates to novel compounds which are nitrogen-containing, saturated bicyclic cyclopentane-fused diphosphonate compounds, especially substituted or unsubstituted octahydro pyrindine diphosphonate derivatives. The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions which contain the novel compounds of the present invention. Finally, the present invention relates to a method for treating or preventing diseases characterized by abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism by utilizing a compound or pharmaceutical composition of the present invention.
A number of pathological conditions which can afflict humans and lower animals involve abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism. Such conditions may be divided into two broad categories:
(1) Conditions which are characterized by anomolous mobilization of calcium and phosphate leading to general or specific bone loss, or excessively high calcium and phosphate levels in the fluids of the body, such as osteoporosis and Paget's disease. Such conditions are sometimes referred to herein as pathological hard tissue demineralizations. PA1 (2) Conditions which cause or result from deposition of calcium and phosphate anomolously in the body, such as arthritis. These conditions are sometimes referred to herein as pathological calcifications.
A variety of polyphosphonic acid derivatives have been proposed for use in the treatment and prophylaxis of diseases involving abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,080, issued Aug. 8, 1972 to Francis, discloses compositions containing polyphosphonates, in particular diphosphonates, and their use in inhibiting anomolous deposition and mobilization of calcium phosphate in animal tissue; U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,700, issued Oct. 28, 1980 to Francis, discloses composition containing certain phosphonate compounds (e.g. cycloalkyl-substituted hydroxyethane diphosphonates) in combination with vitamin D-like compounds useful in inhibiting mobilization of calcium phosphate in animal tissue; U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,443, issued Oct. 26, 1976 to Ploger et al, discloses azacycloalkane-2,2-diphosphonate compound said to be useful as sequestering agents and as agents in the treatment of diseases related to the abnormal deposition or dissolution of difficulty soluble calcium salts in the animal body; and European Patent Application Publication No. 189,662, published Aug. 6, 1986, which discloses various specific cyclic diphosphonate compounds said to be useful as sequestering agents or as agents in the treatment of diseases characterized by abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism. The disclosures of all these patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
In spite of this and much other research into the use of diphosphonates to treat bone-metabolism diseases, there continues to be a need for new bone-active agents. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide new bone-active diphosphonate compounds having relatively high potency for inhibiting bone resorption. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide new bone-active diphosphonate compounds with low toxicity and favorable therapeutic indices, It is a further object of the present invention to provide pharmaceutical compositions useful for the treatment and prophylaxis of abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods for treating or preventing diseases characterized by abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism in humans or lower animals.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed disclosure of the present invention provided hereinafter.